Published 4:00 am, Sunday, May 4, 2003

In an unusual move, Gov. Gray Davis has approved the parole of a Stockton man who brutally killed a friend during an argument over drug money after a cocaine binge more than 20 years ago.

Richard Kemp, 42, who has spent 19 years at San Quentin Prison, on Friday became just the fifth person Davis has approved for parole since taking office in 1999.

Kemp was convicted of second-degree murder for the 1982 bludgeoning death of Larry Proctor, a friend of 10 years. Although Davis called the killing a "shockingly brutal crime," he said Kemp's conduct in prison has been "exemplary" and he poses no threat to the public.

Davis also said Kemp has accepted responsibility for his crime, shown remorse for it and not received a single disciplinary report while at San Quentin. He also has participated in vocational programs, therapy and self- help activities, Davis said.

"Of the more than 150 parole cases I have reviewed, Mr. Kemp's record is second to none," the governor said.

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Kemp's parole will be processed Monday and he is expected to be released later this week. He plans to live in Stockton with his mother, a substance abuse counselor working for a local school district, said Davis spokesman Byron Tucker.

"Mr. Kemp has not gone unpunished," said Tucker. "He has spent the last 19 years locked up behind bars. During that time, he has been constructive in his attempts to make amends and turn his life around."

Kemp, who was later sentenced to a term of 15 years to life, was 22 years old when he went on a $3,000 cocaine binge on Oct. 14, 1982. After smoking the drug for more than three hours, Kemp turned to Proctor for money to buy more drugs.

Proctor refused and used a bat in an effort to get Kemp to leave. Kemp attacked Proctor with the bat, causing a fatal head injury.

Granting parole is highly unusual for Davis, who typically rejects all Parole Board recommendations for an inmate's supervised release from prison.

Since taking office, Davis has reviewed 279 parole referrals. He has turned down 203, approved five and sent the rest back for further review.

Maria Suarez, a Mexican immigrant who was sold into sexual slavery when she was 16, was paroled by Davis last month. Two other women, Rose Ann Parker and Cheryl Sellers, were paroled after being convicted of killing the men who were abusing them.

The only other man to be granted parole by Davis was Chu Ly, another Stockton man who was convicted of murder defending his property after a crime spree in his neighborhood.